Live Assorted Aqua Plant Bulbs

[mozcheez]

So, I bought a pack of these at Petco last night for about $3.50. I did a quick reviews search from my phone before buying, and the reviews were somewhat favorable, especially for the price. I figured "what the heck". They include aponogeton, onion, and waterlily bulbs (supposedly). They also have a germination guarantee or they will replace your bulbs.

Thought I might track their growth success (or failure) here. I found a great suggestion that recommended starting them in a breeder box with an air stone to limit stagnant water until they show growth. So I did just that. Here are some pictures (it was a new stone so I was soaking it before hooking it up - it's actively running now).

I have a 50g freshwater lightly planted (I'm new to live plants) tank. Recently changed out the lighting by purchasing a dual T5NO fixture with a 6700K bulb and a color max bulb. I dose bi-weekly with Flourish and use root tabs. Only currently have 2 amazon swords and 2 anubias nana in the tank, and hopefully will be able to plant these bulbs in the near future. I still have a couple of plastic plants in the tank until I can get some growth out of the live ones. My plants for the tank are low-light no CO2. Fishes are as follows: 8 cory cats, 10 cardinal tetras, 6 pearl danios, 2 indian glassfish, and I have 2 molly fry, 1 guppy fry, and a platy fry in a net breeder (I seem to be a dumping ground for friends' surviving fry ).

 

[alia258]

I'll be following you because I'm interested in what you're doing. Be warned! Onion isn't an aquatic plant! You'll have to float it so that just the roots and the white part are under the water. If you keep the green part under water your waters health will go way down because if slow plant decay. Just thought I'd warn you im more interested in that water lily that you speak of ^^

 

[Crittercaller]

I had bought those same bulbs and had three out of five grew. Two unions which are almost grown to the surface( no rot so far, all green) and this plant, not sure exactly what it is

 

[mozcheez]

Thanks for the pics, cc! I'm glad that at least 3 of the bulbs worked out for you. You planted your onion?

And thanks also, alia. I would have planted the onion. Looking forward to hopefully making lots of positive posts here.

 

[Crittercaller]

I planted the onions, I will keep you posted if they rot. So far they haven't rotted, each one has three stalks coming up.

 

[alia258]

Be careful with that! Keep a sharp eye on your water you know that eventually the onion root will grow all big and stuff right? You gotta have some pretty thick substrate! If the stalks grow above the water, then it'd be fine (or at least better off) because onions use the gas form of CO2 while most aquatic (submersed) plants use dissolved CO2 and ammonia. If you have a grated lid that the onions can grow through, then it should be fine. ^^

 

[texasblitzem]

I bought that assorted pack also. Only the onion bulbs sprouted, and are growing fast. The other bulbs started to get fuzzy but never sprouted. I took them out and felt them. They were all squishy and smelled horrible! I tossed them away.

 

[alia258]

Those totally had fungus on them, I heard that some chemicals can prevent that ^^

 

[mozcheez]

I read that when you see that white fuzzy gooey stuff, take the bulb out, dab that area with a small paint brush or qtip dipped in isopropyl alcohol, rinse it, and put it back in.

Hope that's effective, b/c a couple of them had this yesterday when I got home from work. As of this morning, the white stuff doesn't appear to be back! I didn't have 100% isopropyl so I just used rubbing alcohol (which is 70%).

However, now I have Ich in the tank Starting treatment for that this evening....

EDIT: attached the picture of the gooey stuff before rinsed it

 

[Crittercaller]

I took mine out and replanted with bulb above the sand, I did notice that my panda cories cleaned the bulb so well that the bulb looked like a green onion bulb and ever since then the fuzz hasn't returned.

 

[alia258]

Well that's yucky looking :/ I think I might get that bulb pack, I'd like some more aquatic plants (god only knows how much I love aquatic plants) I'm getting some frogbit too! ^^

 

[alia258]

Cories eat the fungus you say? Do you think a common cory might do that?

 

[Crittercaller]

I am not sure, mine cleaned the bulbs but not sure if its a normal behavior or not. I do know that my cories also relish the pieces of zucchini I put in for my otos

 

[alia258]

Oh I see I'll have to just guess and check then ^^

 

[Crittercaller]

Maybe someone on here that has more experience with cories will know. I am not very versed as far as keeping cories and their behavior. Sorry

 

[alia258]

No worries, it's not really a problem to begin with ^^

 

[texasblitzem]

Here's a pic of the two onion bulbs. I think they've been in there for three weeks. But it took like 2 weeks before they showed anything.

 

[Crittercaller]

They look like mine and at about same time frame

 

[alia258]

Do they still look okay? Are they rotting? Are they still green and such? ^^

 

[Crittercaller]

Mine are still good no rot now they have three stalks per bulb, longest section on one is a foot and half the other about a foot